Lyria froze.
That voice from the first chamber hit her like a shove to the chest.
She knew it.
Not from years ago. Not from one of those half memories that drift around and leave you guessing. She knew it in a straight line. Clear. Ugly. Real.
Kael heard it too. He turned so fast his whole body locked.
Mira was already lifting her sword. Ronan stepped back half a pace, eyes on the doorway. Selene went pale. The keeper in the chains stopped breathing for one second, then swore under her breath like she had been expecting this all along.
The voice came again from the dark.
"You opened the wrong room."
It was low. Calm. Mean.
The first thing Lyria felt was not fear. It was anger. Hot and instant.
Because whoever that was had no right to speak to her like that. Not after everything. Not after the ledger. Not after the dead courier. Not after her mother. Not after the whole mess of lies sitting in this shrine like moldy bones.
